


The House of Badgers

by onyxjay



Series: Non-Gryffindor Harry [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Based on a Tumblr Post, Cedric Diggory Lives, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, M/M, No Horcruxes, Out of Character, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-10-16 04:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 20,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onyxjay/pseuds/onyxjay
Summary: The Triwizard Tournament is taking place during Harry’s fourth year, and he has his eyes set on Hogwart’s champion, Cedric Diggory.Inspired by this post (can’t link it for some reason):http://voldemxrt.tumblr.com/post/143717881656/i-know-its-not-real-and-i-know-i-made-it-but-this(I’m bad at summaries)





	1. The Sorting

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the phone I’m using to write this story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will not be as long as my other two (20-25 at most, I presume)

"Mum, get off!" Harry groaned as Lily continued pressing kisses over his face.

She lifted her head, smiling fondly at her son. "I'm sorry, Harry. We're just going to miss you, you know that."

"Remember to write to us," James added.

"I will."

"Every day," Sirius piped up.

"I doubt Harry will have time to write every day," Lily pointed out.

"I see Ron," Harry said, craning his head to get a better look at the taller boy.

"Well, we'll see you during the holidays, Prongslet," James said.

"I'll miss you." Harry hugged his parents and godfather happily before running off to join Ron.

"I wonder which house he'll be in," Lily mused.

"Gryffindor, obviously," Sirius said automatically.

"He hardly gets into the same kind of trouble you two have, even with your encouragement," Lily said, giving them both a hard stare.

James and Sirius grinned at her sheepishly. "Whoops."

"Honestly, you two are grown men. Act like it."

"Where's the fun in that?"

 

 

 

"Are you ready?" Ron said as he and Harry sat down in a compartment.

"You bet," Harry said. "I can't wait to see Uncle Moony again."

"Me, neither. Hey, want to play chess?"

"Sure."

Harry had never won a single game against Ron when it came to chess, but he still enjoyed every second of it. Today was no different.

"Checkmate," Ron said after ten minutes.

"Darn," Harry said, pouting, before brightening up. "Again!"

The compartment door opened as they were playing their third game. "So it's true?" the blonde boy said upon seeing Harry. "Harry Potter is starting this year."

Harry beamed. "Yep! And you are?"

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ron coughed slightly, and Draco whipped his head around. "Think my name's funny, do you?" he said more harshly. "No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand.

Harry looked between Ron and Draco, clearly torn. "Can't we all be friends?" he asked. His mother had taught him not to judge someone based on their blood status, family, or house.

Both other boys looked taken aback.

"I mean, who says I can only have one friend?" Harry went on. "So, Draco, I will accept your friendship if you promise not to be mean." He looked at Ron. "That means you have to be nice, too."

"Fine," Ron said. Draco nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Great." Harry yanked Draco down on the seat next to him. "You can sit with us."

The trolley witch came around, and Harry bought a little of everything. "Here," he said, holding out a chocolate frog to Ron.

Ron looked surprise. "Really?" he said hopefully.

"Friends share."

Grinning, Ron set down the sandwich his mother had packed him and took it.

 

 

 

A tearful Neville Longbottom opened the door. "Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

Ron and Draco shook their heads.

"I'll help you look," Harry offered.

Neville brightened. "Okay."

They returned moments later, toad in Neville's hands.

 

 

 

They arrived at Hogwarts and were taken to the Great Hall for the Sorting ceremony.

Neville was Sorted into Gryffindor, while Draco went to Slytherin. Harry came shortly after and practically skipped up to the stool.

"Well, well. Look who we have here," the hat said.

"Hello," Harry chirped.

The hat chuckled. "Aren't you just chipper this morning?"

Harry most definitely was; everyone could practically taste his excitement.

"Hmm... A thirst for knowledge, ambition to do well, making friends already. I believe you would do best in- HUFFLEPUFF."

Gryffindor looked a bit disappointed that the savior of the wizarding world wasn't in their house, but they cheered nevertheless. Hufflepuff was giving Harry a standing ovation.

Harry sat down next to Susan Bones, who beamed at him. "Guess we're housemates," she said.

"Yep!" Harry grinned. He looked up at the staff table. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, Sprout was trying to recover from her shock, and Remus was smiling at Harry, who returned it happily.

Ron was among the last few first years to be Sorted; he joined Neville in Gryffindor.

Dumbledore gave a few announcements before food appeared on the tables.

"I don't think anyone expected to see you in Hufflepuff," Ernie Macmillan said.

"Me, neither," Harry said. "But, honestly, I don't really care what house I'm in. I just want to do well."

"That's a good attitude to have," Justin Finch-Fletchley said. "What do you think your parents will say?"

"Knowing my dad and Sirius, they'll probably have heart attacks," Harry said with a laugh. This was going to be a great seven years, he could feel it.


	2. Meeting Cedric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I couldn’t wait, so here’s the second chapter. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment (just don’t be rude)

Harry had never been one for the limelight. Unfortunately, no one, adult and student alike, seemed to want him to forget just who he was in their eyes. His parents made an effort to minimize the enthusiastic crowds that often gathered when word got out that Harry was in public, but there was always someone who noticed.

Now, without James and Lily there, Harry had absolutely no way to avoid anyone.

"There he is!"

"With those two girls."

"Already picking up the ladies, I see."

That comment had made Harry blush. Susan pretended to swoon into his arms, while Hannah just laughed at her friend's antics.

Before class started, Harry went to see Professor Remus Lupin, who was preparing for his first DADA class. "Uncle Moony!" Harry said, skipping inside.

Remus wasn't alone; Professor Snape had a goblet of Wolfsbane potion in his hands. "Morning, Harry," Remus said.

"Hi, Sev," Harry chirped, smiling up at the potions master.

"Brat," Snape responded fondly. Like many of the professors, he had warmed up to Harry. It was almost impossible not to; Harry brought out the best in practically everyone he met. Both James and Sirius had been surprised when they came home one day to see Harry and Snape peacefully playing chess.

"I wouldn't move that," Snape had said when Harry reached for the knight.

Harry had retracted his hand, pouting. "Then what can I move?"

"Nothing," Snape said, smirking and leaning back. "I already told you, checkmate."

Harry's pout simply deepened. Then he brightened up. "Again?"

Harry lost the next round, but he didn't seem to care. He just wanted to spend time with his (unofficial) Uncle Snape.

"Hufflepuff!" Remus said, taking a sip and wincing at the bitter taste. "Lily wasn't surprised."

"Bet Dad and Sirius were," Harry said, eyes gleaming a little.

"They were. Nevertheless, they are proud of you."

"Are you proud of me?" Harry tilted his head to one side.

"Of course, I am, cub." Remus made a face as he took another sip.

"That looks nasty," Harry said, peering at the goblet.

"It is. But it helps me in the end." Remus stood up. "I will see you later, Harry. I believe your first class is... Transfiguration?"

"Yep." Harry wished he could stay a bit longer, but at the same time, he was very excited for class. "Bye, Moony, Sev!"

He hurried out the door and headed for Transfiguration. On his way, he bumped into a group of older Gryffindors.

"Sorry!" Harry exclaimed, scrambling back to his feet.

"It's fine," one of them said.

"Wait a second. That's Potter!" another one said, eyes fixated on Harry's forehead.

"It is," Percy Weasley said. "No need to gawk."

None of the others took any notice. "What was it like that night?" one girl asked in a hushed whisper.

"Umm..." Harry blinked a few times. While he didn't remember that night all too well, it was a sensitive topic that everyone wanted to know about.

"Will you be trying out for Quidditch next year?" said the first boy.

"Oliver, you know he isn't the sporty type!" Percy hissed.

"Just wait until the first flying lessons," Oliver went on as if his dormmate hadn't spoken. "You're gonna wish you were a second year so you can try out."

"Was You-Know-Who as hideous as they say he was?" the girl pressed on.

"I can't really remember," Harry replied haltingly.

"You must remember something," another boy insisted. "Like a green light or You-Know-Who's snake face."

The problem was that Harry did remember the former, as well as a cold laugh that sent chills up his spine. "Sort of..."

"It's too bad you aren't a Gryffindor," Oliver said wistfully. "Your father was a great Chaser, I heard."

The students continued to hound Harry for information, ignoring Percy's attempts to stop them and Harry's clear discomfort.

"Hey, you guys should leave him alone," a somewhat familiar voice said.

Harry looked up to see a boy from his own house coming up. He was slightly smaller, probably a fourth year, with dark hair and bright gray eyes.

Oliver finally seemed to notice that he was quite literally towering over Harry in his excitement. "Oh, sorry," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine," Harry said, though he took a few steps away from him and stood behind the Hufflepuff.

"We're going to be late," Percy muttered.

"Oh, Merlin's pants, he's right!" the girl shouted. "Come on, you guys!" The group bolted away, leaving the two Hufflepuffs alone.

"Can't believe they actually listened to me," the older boy said, sounding pleased with himself. He turned to face Harry. "I'm Cedric. Cedric Diggory."

"Harry Potter, but you probably already knew that."

"I did," Cedric acknowledged, "partly because you were just Sorted yesterday."

"And the other part?" Harry joked.

"I saw you in Diagon Alley when you were getting your supplies."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, um, thanks for stepping in." Harry smiled up at Cedric.

"You're welcome." Cedric hesitated briefly. "Shall I walk you to class? You know, in case there are other students waiting for you?"

"Sure!" Harry brightened up. "I have Transfiguration."

"Ah, Professor McGonagall." Cedric laughed. "Get ready to transfigure a matchstick."

"Okay?" Harry's brows furrowed.

 

 

 

Sure enough, once Professor McGonagall was finished with her lecture, she handed out matchsticks and had the students attempt to turn them into needles. Predictably, a Ravenclaw succeeded first. Harry only managed to sharpen the matchstick, but he wasn't disappointed with his result.

They all went down to the Great Hall after Charms, where Harry enjoyed a nice meal consisting of roast beef and vegetables.

"Where were you?" Susan asked. "I mean, you weren't late to Transfiguration, but you didn't show up until just before the bell."

"I ran into a few Gryffindors," Harry replied. "They got really excited when they saw me."

"Ah, fame," Hannah said sympathetically. "They just can't let it go, can they?"

"No. Luckily, Cedric came around."

"Cedric?"

"Diggory." Harry jutted his head toward the aforementioned fourth year as he took a seat with his friends.

"Oh, him. Handsome, isn't he?" Hannah said.

Susan giggled, but Harry didn't get it. "Yeah, he's not bad looking. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't. Just noticing."

Harry looked back at Cedric. Okay, he could see what the girls meant. But did that really merit a comment?

As if sensing eyes on him, Cedric raised his head and looked straight into Harry's eyes. They held each other's gazes for a moment before Harry wrenched his away, ears heating up.

Unseen by him, Cedric chuckled to himself and turned back to his food.


	3. Year One and Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot I was going to publish this on Sunday, whoops.
> 
> Anyway, in the first two years, nothing special happens due to no Voldemort, but I didn’t want to skip them completely so here was the result

Over the course of the first year, Harry became known less as the Boy-Who-Lived and more as the Boy-Who-Befriended-Literally-Everyone-He-Met. Okay, perhaps that wasn't something that came up officially, but the point was that it was almost impossible for Harry to make enemies.

Ron and Neville had both met Harry before Hogwarts, so their friendship wasn't a surprise. Draco, being a Slytherin, was, but anyone could see he genuinely valued the time he spent with Harry. And despite the rivalry between the Weasleys and the Malfoys, Ron and Draco quickly bonded over Quidditch.

Ron had insulted Hermione Granger, a fellow Gryffindor, after she had performed the Levitating Charm before him. Harry, who disliked bullying of any kind, literally dragged him by the ear and told him to apologize. A guilty Ron had done so, and Hermione accepted and became a part of the group.

There were even students from the higher years that could not resist Harry's affectionate ways. Fred and George, who loved pranking, could not find it in them to target Harry. Sometimes, he would be caught up in the crossfire, but never a direct hit. Percy, as strict as he was, could be seen a couple times smiling at whatever it was Harry was saying.

Although Harry was not keen on trying out for Quidditch, he didn't mind Oliver Wood rambling on about the sport. One time, Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, overheard Oliver boasting about how great Gryffindor was and got into a heated debate. Harry simply listened in fascination.

Perhaps the most surprising one was Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch's cat. She was usually prowling the halls, looking for troublesome students to report, but Harry actually sought her out and petted her. All the staff members were baffled by Mrs. Norris' unusual amiable behavior, but they didn't question it.

 

 

 

During the first staff meeting of Harry's first year, there was not a single bad word against Harry Potter.

"He doesn't give up," McGonagall said, "even when he is one of the last students to accomplish a spell, which isn't often, but still."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said.

"He loves working with others," Sprout added.

"He has helped minimized disasters," Snape said, remembering how Harry had warned Justin Finch-Fletchley before he added the wrong ingredient in the most recent lesson.

"He's such a sweet child," Flitwick squeaked. "I can see him becoming a prefect already with his no-nonsense attitude regarding bullying."

"I will keep that in mind," Dumbledore said. "Remus?"

"I've seen him in the library a lot," the werewolf replied. "Sometimes, I wonder if he's secretly a Ravenclaw."

There was a knock on the door. Harry peeked in. "Am I interrupting?" he asked.

"No, you aren't. Come in." Dumbledore waved his hand, and Harry stepped in fully. In his arms was Mrs. Norris.

"Mr. Filch? I think someone hurt Mrs. Norris."

The caretaker was up in an instant. "Who hurt her?"

"I don't know. But she sprained her paw." Harry was frowning. "I tried to wrap it up." He gestured to Mrs. Norris' front leg, which was loosely held by a bandage.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Filch said.

"You're welcome." Harry waved at the rest of the staff before exiting.

Sprout sighed. "Has he ever met anyone who didn't like him, Remus?"

"Not that I know of. And the day that happens is the day I am cured."

 

 

 

Harry's second year came up, and with that, a new wave of students.

Ginny, the youngest Weasley, had been enamored with Harry at first. She grew to love Harry as a normal boy over time and he was all too pleased when she arrived at Hogwarts. Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw in Ginny's year, was scorned at for her eccentric ways, but Harry was very fascinated by her and the creatures she would often mention and was often found asking about them. At one point, he began wearing a butterbeer cork necklace that kept away Nargles.

Harry was a bit wary of Colin Creevey, but he couldn't say no to the tiny boy when he begged for a picture. Still, he tried to avoid Colin as best as possible.

"Fame getting to you?" Draco joked.

"No," Harry said, blushing.

Draco simply laughed. "Hey, maybe Creevey could start a fan club."

"Oh, Merlin, no," Harry groaned. "Please don't suggest that."

"I won't, I won't. But if he comes up with it on his own, I'm not going to stop him."

"Fair enough." Harry silently prayed Colin didn't think of it.

Draco became the Slytherin Seeker, and Harry was the first to congratulate him by hugging him and wishing him luck. The rest of the Slytherin team teased Draco, only to stop when Harry sweetly suggested he gave them a hug as well.

"Aren't you going to wish your own house good luck?" Cedric spoke from behind Harry.

"I'm wishing everyone luck," Harry said, eyes wide and sincere. "So yes. Good luck, Cedric."

"Thanks." Cedric ruffled Harry's hair, making the smaller boy pout.

Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup, and no one batted an eye when Harry ran up and kissed Draco on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can’t remember where I read it (I want to say it was on Wattpad), but there was a story where Harry befriended Filch somehow, can’t remember. I thought it was just the kind of thing this Harry would do, so... *gestures vaguely* yeah.
> 
> Also, I really like platonic Drarry, as you can probably tell


	4. Year Three and Boggarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry’s third year comes up and he’s excited, but his first DADA lesson doesn’t go very well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I have this story pretty much finished (some revising and editing here and there, but that’s it), you can expect updates on Sundays and Wednesdays

It was third year now for Harry. He and Luna were reading the Quibbler while Ron talked about his family's trip to Egypt. George told Harry that he and Fred has attempted to shut Percy into a pyramid, but their mother caught them. Harry swatted at him in reply. "That's mean. Don't do that."

They got off the train and headed to the Great Hall, splitting up and going to their house tables.

"Welcome!" Dumbledore said once everyone was seated. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have one important announcement to say to you all. I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

"That explains the book," Ernie Macmillan said ruefully.

Harry laughed. "A book that bites your fingers off. Only Hagrid."

He loved the animals just as much as the people, especially the Hippogriff, Buckbeak. Hagrid tried to introduce Harry to Aragog, an Acromantula, but Harry declined for once, sharing Ron's fear of spiders.

 

 

 

Remus' first lesson of the year proved to be as interesting as any of his others: a Boggart.

Harry stood in line as, one by one, his classmates stepped forward and cast Riddikulus on the Boggart, confusing it as it turned into different fears. Justin went, turning the snake into a harmless worm, and then it was Harry's turn.

For a moment, the worm didn't move. Then- Crack!- it transformed, and Harry was opening his mouth to say the spell when his voice caught in his throat.

There, lying on the floor, was his father, hazel eyes staring sightlessly up at the sky. "R-riddikulus," Harry stammered.

His mother was next. Harry felt his wand slip from his fingers and he bolted from the room, barely registering the concerned cries of his name from his classmates.

He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed to get away from the terrible sight of his dead parents.

"Oof!" Harry nearly fell backwards as he collided with Professor Snape.

There was a sharp exclamation above him that broke off when he saw the tears in Harry's eyes. "Harry," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Defense..." Harry croaked, trembling uncontrollably. "Boggart..." He clung to Snape's robes, tears soaking the dark material.

Snape stared down at him in confused concern, then raised his head as Remus came running up. "There you are!" he said, relief lighting up his gaze.

"What happened, Lupin?" Snape asked. "He mentioned a Boggart."

"He saw James and Lily," Remus told him.

Snape inhaled sharply. No wonder Harry was so distraught. He loved his parents deeply and more than once, Lily would fire-call him for a Sleeping Draught. "Where's the class?"

"I dismissed them," Remus said. "They're all really worried about Harry."

"I don't want to go the common room," Harry mumbled, voice slightly muffled due to pressing his face against Snape.

"That's all right," Remus reassured him. "Do you want us to get your parents?"

Harry nodded and followed Remus to his office with Snape following close behind.

 

 

 

When Harry saw James and Lily come out of the fireplace, he burst into tears again and hugged them tightly. Remus explained in more detail about his lesson and Harry's reaction.

"I know it wasn't real," Harry said, "but I panicked. I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry, Harry," Lily soothed as she rubbed circles over her son's back.

"It's just that it- it reminded me of my nigtmares," Harry went on. "But I was awake this time."

Sirius had a haunted look in his eyes, no doubt recalling when he had come running up to see if the Potters were okay. He had stumbled across James first and had been terrified when he thought his friend was dead. Then on to the nursery, where Lily was knocked out as well. He had been so angry at Peter and probably would have gone after him if Lily hadn't stirred.

"I don't like Boggarts," Harry said.

"No one does, Prongslet," James said. He dealt with them enough times, being an Auror, and similarly to Harry, he saw his family dead. "Unfortunately, the only way to deal with them is to face them."

"I know." Harry went quiet, eyelids getting heavy as he relaxed in Lily's arms. Soon, he fell asleep.

Lily sighed. "I would say that I hope this won't bring the nightmares back, but I think we all know that it will."

"Don't worry," Snape said. "Poppy and I make sure there is always Dreamless Sleeping Draught on hand."

"Thank you, Severus," James said with a grateful smile. He and Snape had formed a tentative truce that had grown into true respect. They would never be friends, but they'd fight side by side when necessary.

Snape dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. "If you need me, I will be in my lab," he said before leaving.

 

 

 

The third-year Hufflepuffs had told the rest of their house that Harry was with Professor Lupin but didn't divulge into the details after Susan declared that it was Harry's business and no one else's.

Susan and Hannah were waiting patiently for their friend to arrive and were deeply relieved when he did.

"Hey," Harry greeted them as he entered the common room.

"Hey. Will you be all right?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, I will be." Harry smiled at his friend's' concern.

Hannah didn't say anything, just gave Harry a warm embrace, which he returned.

"I'm going to go up to the dorm," he murmured, pullling away.

The girls nodded and stepped away.

As Harry was reaching for the door, he heard Cedric's voice.

Harry turned. "Hey." He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hi. The third years mentioned something happened in DADA."

"Yeah, I panicked a bit."

Cedric's gaze became sympathetic. "May I ask what happened?"

Harry shrugged. "I saw my parents. Dead. Voldemort killed them."

Cedric didn't flinch at the name, but he did wince slightly. "Oh. That's horrible."

"Yeah. I just spoke with them. I'll be fine."

Cedric grabbed his arm as he tried to push past. "If you want, we can hang out in the Quidditch pitch or something. To clear our minds."

Harry pondered over this. "I'll think about it."

"Okay. Try not to wait too long." Cedric gave him a friendly shove and went back to join his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we start getting into the romance a bit. Can’t wait


	5. “It’s Not a Date!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry decides to take up Cedric’s offer

"What did Cedric want?" Susan asked the next morning during breakfast.

"Hm?"

"I saw you talking to him yesterday.”

“Oh, he was just wondering what had happened,” Harry said, shrugging. “He said we should hang out a bit to clear our minds, relax.”

Hannah’s fork clattered onto the table. “He said what?”

“He said we should hang out a bit,” Harry repeated. “Why?”

“Nothing,” Hannah said quickly. “It’s just that it almost sound like a date.”

Harry, who had been sipping his pumpkin juice, coughed out in surprise. “A date?”

“Now that you mention it,” Susan said thoughtfully, “it kinda does.”

“It’s not a date!” Harry protested.

“Whatever you say, Har.” Hannah patted him on the shoulder.

Harry couldn’t keep their words out of his mind all day. It wasn’t that he was opposed to being with a guy romantically, he just didn’t think that was what Cedric meant.

Back in second year, he had caught sight of Oliver and Percy kissing in the hallway. They had been a bit embarrassed when they spotted Harry, but Harry didn't take much notice. He knew Remus and Sirius were together- he had the misfortune of overhearing them one night!- and same-sex couples were more accepted in the wizarding world than in the Muggle, according to Lily. Her sister, Petunia, was certainly among the majority there, finding it as freakish as magic. Harry had met her once, but he wasn't keen on seeing her or her husband ever again. And it was clear that they had passed their views onto their son, Dudley, who had attempted to play a game he made up called Harry Hunting. Lily had been furious.

But then Harry began to wonder: Did boys kiss differently than girls? He asked Remus, who didn't really know since he had never kissed a girl before, with the exception of Lily (but that was a friendly one on the cheek, so he didn't count that).

Shaking his head, he decided to go see if Cedric was at the Quidditch pitch. Harry found him sitting at the topmost stand. He grinned when he saw Harry. "You made it," he called.

"Apparently, I did," Harry retorted lightly as he took a seat.

Cedric laughed and leaned back.

Harry copied him, wriggling around until he was more comfortable. "Do you come here often? To relax, I mean."

"Often enough," Cedric answered. "It's pretty relieving, especially after an exam or Quidditch practice."

"I bet." Harry stared up at the sky. "Sirius used to take me to the roof at night to look at the stars."

"Did your parents know?"

"Not always. Sirius 'forgot' the first time. Mum put us in timeout for scaring her."

"Us? As in both you and Black?"

Harry giggled. "Yep. My dad found the whole thing amusing."

Cedric turned his head, nose nearly touching Harry’s. "You have a weird family."

"I get that a lot," Harry said, smiling fondly at the thought. "What about you?"

"Mmm, my family's pretty normal."

Harry gave him a look. "Oh, come on, Ced. There's gotta be someone in your family that likes to show off."

“Nope."

"Okay, then." Harry dropped it at that, still eyeing Cedric dubiously.

"You sure you don't want to try out for Quidditch?" Cedric asked.

"No way. You can't tell me that it's actually comfortable sitting on a stick suspended in midair."

"It is!" Cedric sat up and give him a disbelieving look. "There's a cushioning charm on the brooms, you know. It prevents unnecessary aches."

"Okay, but what about all those balls flying around?" Harry said. "Those Bludgers look nasty."

"They can be," Cedric conceded. "But that's what the Beaters are for."

"No, I'm good. I'll just leave that to Maxine and Anthony."

"If you say so."

This was nice, Harry decided as he continued to engage in random topics with Cedric. Much better than running around trying to avoid Creevey.

The younger boy had indeed started a fan club, much to Harry's horror and his friends' amusement.

 

 

 

"So?" Susan demanded later in the library.

"So what?"

"How did your date go with Cedric?”

"You went on a date with Cedric?" Ron asked, looking up from his barely-written essay.

Harry's face flushed. "Not so loud!"

"Sorry." Ron turned to Hermione and craned his neck to see what she had down.

"Ron!" she scolded, moving her parchment out of his sight.

"Come on, Hermione! You're already halfway done."

"Ron, you'll never learn if you keep copying off of me. Besides, it's cheating. And cheating is wrong." With that said, Hermione moved her bag between her and Ron and continued writing.

"Back to Harry's date," Draco said.

"It wasn't a date," Harry muttered.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You sure it wasn't a date? Because from the looks of it, you two looked pretty cozy."

"Positive. Wait, you saw us?"

Draco didn't look even remotely abashed as he nodded cheerfully. "Let me get this straight, Cedric asked if you wanted to hang out with him-"

"Exactly. Hang out with him," Harry interjected.

"- _alone_ ," Draco went on, "and you two were lying down in the stands, practically touching. Not to mention-” he grinned cheekily here- “when you turned to look at him, his face was reeaaally close to yours."

"Not that close," Harry protested weakly.

"And yet you don't think that was date?" Draco finished. "Wasn't it you who wanted to kiss me to see how guys tasted?"

Susan dropped her quill. "You and Draco did what?"

Harry glared at Draco, who smiled innocently. "I saw Oliver and Percy kissing once and started thinking."

"Percy and Oliver were kissing?" Ron echoed. "But what about that Ravenclaw prefect? Perrie or something?"

"Penelope Clearwater," Hermione corrected him. "That was back in our second year. They broke up near the end."

"Oh."

"So you and Draco kissed?" Susan said thoughtfully. "How was it?"

"It wasn't bad."

"Geez, thanks, Potter."

"It wasn't!" Harry exclaimed. "It just... didn't really make any impact on me."

"He can't be that bad at kissing," Hannah said.

"Of course not. I'm a great kisser," Draco boasted.

Susan seemed to consider something, then she grabbed Draco and yanked him forward, kissing him. She pulled back. "On a scale of one to ten, I'd give him a seven." She turned back to her book as if nothing had transpired.

Draco blinked owlishly a few times. "A little warning next time would be nice," he croaked.

"My turn," Hannah said, smashing her lips onto Draco's. "Eight," she announced.

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times. "Hermione?" he squeaked.

"Don't worry. I'm not interested."

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Draco flopped back in his chair.

Unnoticed by all, including himself, Ron relaxed marginally at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it, Harry goes on his not-a-date, we get a little bit of an update (more or less) with the Dursleys, and we now know about the fan club


	6. Quidditch Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final Quidditch match of third year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I switched up the order regarding who plays against who and when in Quidditch. Normally, the final match is between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw (with the exception of the one in PoA); I made it between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for this story

Throughout the morning of the final Quidditch match of the year, everyone was extremely tense and chattered on excitedly. Harry could see Malcolm Preece and Heidi Macavoy, two of the Hufflepuff Chasers, looking nervous but determined. After finishing breakfast, Cedric called for the team to get ready.

"Good luck," Harry said to Cedric as he passed.

"Thanks. We're gonna need it."

Harry looked over at the Ravenclaw table, but he didn't see their team. Roger Davies must've already brought his team away.

The rest of the school went out and took their seats in the stands. Harry found himself sitting not far from where he and Cedric had hung out.

He watched as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff appeared, wearing blue and bronze and canary-yellow robes respectively.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch said.

Roger and Cedric did.

"Mount your brooms! Three... two... one..."

The players kicked off the ground. As usual, Lee Jordan was providing the commentary with the occasional rebuke by Professor McGonagall.

Harry looked up at Cedric, whose head was turning around, eyes alert for the Snitch.

 

 

 

"Ravenclaw in possession, Roger Davies of Ravenclaw heading for goal..."

The Ravenclaws went wild as he scored. Cedric gritted his teeth. He needed to find the Snitch fast or else they'd lose to Ravenclaw- and by extension, Gryffindor- again. This year was the first time in countless years that Hufflepuff seemed to have a chance at winning the Quidditch Cup, and Cedric was determined to achieve it. But where was the Snitch?

There! He spotted a glint of gold and swerved downward to reach it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho Chang tailing him.

A Bludger came hurtling toward Cedric, forcing him to roll sideways in midair. The Ravenclaws cheered for Jason Samuels.

The Snitch reappeared in Cedric's vision, and he shot after it with Cho close behind.

She was catching up... She was now shoulder to shoulder with him... But another Bludger forced her to veer sharply to the left, and Cedric's hand closed around the golden ball.

"We won!" Maxine cried jubilantly as Cedric landed. "We won the Quidditch Cup!"

The Hufflepuff team converged onto Cedric, hugging him and patting him on the back. The rest of their housemates were running over, their voices blending together in a sea of sound.

"You did it!" Harry shouted, green eyes gleaming with pride. He leapt into Cedric's arms and planted a messy kiss to his cheek. "Er- sorry," he squeaked out embarrassedly.

"Don't worry," Cedric reassured him. "I don't mind."

Harry's face reddened even further, and he shuffled backwards, letting the others come forward.

All throughout the evening and late into the night, the Hufflepuffs celebrated their victory for the first time in over fifty years.

 

 

 

The exams cut across the elation, and Harry did his best to block out the groans from his classmates. He still felt a rush of energy whenever he thought of Cedric zooming after the Snitch. He had been unable to stop himself when he launched himself at him and kissed his cheek. Even now, his face burned, and Susan and Hannah teased him mercilessly.

"Are you sure it wasn't a date?" Susan said, referring (again) to Harry and Cedric hanging out that one time.

"Hey, maybe next year, you two can go to Hogsmeade together," Hannah added.

Draco jokingly said that he bet he would make a better kisser than Cedric, to which Harry responded with a loud groan and a shove.

On the train, he made sure to not sit with anyone who would tease him, which meant he was sharing the compartment with Luna. The Ravenclaw rarely spoke, preferring to read the Quibbler upside down or let Harry plait her hair.

Right now, they were reading in companionable silence until they were interrupted by Cedric.

"Mind if I sit here? Need a bit of peace."

"Sure," Harry said. Luna nodded once.

"You're Cedric Diggory," she said in her dreamy voice.

"I am. And you are Luna Lovegood."

"I believe so. Has Harry talked about me? I know he's talked about you."

Okay, maybe Luna wasn't the best choice in compartment buddies. Harry went to speak but could not come up with a suitable response.

"Oh, should I not have spoken?" Luna asked.

"Nothing's stopping you," Harry said uncertainly.

"I'm glad to hear that." But Luna didn't say anything else.

Cedric was looking at Harry quizzically. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I just- yeah. Exams," Harry stammered. "They were... tough."

"Wait till you get to fifth year," Cedric said. "You'll think third year's a cinch in comparison."

"Oh, boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason for this extra update is because it’s my 19th birthday! Yeep


	7. Quidditch World Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Harry’s and Cedric’s parents play matchmaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, y’all! Thank you so much for your “Happy birthdays.” Here’s another update on normal schedule, hope you enjoy it.

Harry could not keep still. For his birthday, he had received tickets for the Quidditch World Cup. Now Harry may not be the biggest fan of the sport, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t looking forward to it.

On August 25th, the family Apparated outside the campsite, where Lily had to pay the Muggle (James nearly handed him a few Galleons).

They made it to their spot and began setting up the tent. Lily took over again, having gone camping before with her family. "The Weasleys should be here," she said to Harry. "Sirius, why don't you take Harry and go find them? We’ll manage."

"You sure?" Sirius said, raising his head.

"Of course," Lily said. Harry had a feeling she was just trying to separate Sirius and James before they got too caught up in their fun.

So Sirius and Harry exited the tent and went to look for the other family.

"There they are!" Harry said. "Ron, Hermione!"

The two turned, grinning, and came over. "Hi, Harry," Hermione said.

"Mum just sent us to get some water," Ron said, gesturing to the kettle and saucepans. "Want to join us?"

Harry looked up at Sirius. "Go on," his godfather said. "I'll tell your parents you're with them."

As the group headed for the tap, they saw Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, a couple of Gryffindors in their year. Walking back, Harry saw more familiar faces: Oliver Wood, Ernie Macmillan, and Cho Chang.

Mr. Weasley was having a lot of fun trying to start a fire and didn't seem deterred by his lack of success. While Hermione helped him, Harry and Ginny conversed.

"How was the trip coming here?" Ginny asked.

"It was fine. We Apparated," Harry said, shrugging. "Dad almost tried to pay the Muggle with Galleons."

Ginny laughed. "My dad had trouble, too. He kept getting the Muggle money mixed up. Hermione helped him."

Harry laughed as well at the thought of Mr. Weasley handling anything Muggle-related.

"The Diggorys are here," Ginny added.

"They are?" Harry said.

"I don't know where they are now," Ginny replied, "but they joined us at the Portkey." She paused, then went on in feigned casualness. "Cedric asked if you were attending."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he told me to tell you he hoped you'd sit together when the game starts."

Harry blinked a few times. "Oh, um, that's good to know."

Ginny didn't look impressed by his lack of response. "I'm sure it is."

Harry was saved from having to respond when Remus arrived to bring Harry back to their tent.

 

 

 

To Harry's surprise, the Diggorys were there, chatting amiably with the Potters and Sirius. Cedric had his head lowered in embarrassment as his father praised him. His wife spotted Harry first and smiled. "And this must be Harry," she said warmly.

"Hello," Harry chirped, shaking her hand.

"Cedric's had so many things to say about you!" she gushed.

Cedric looked even more alarmed. "Mum!"

Mrs. Diggory winked at Harry before turning back to Lily.

"All good things, I hope," Lily said. "Because Harry's mentioned Cedric more than once as well."

It was Harry's turn to be embarrassed; he squeaked and hid his face in Remus' side.

"Of course, of course," Mrs. Diggory said. "He thinks your son is very cute."

"Can I go now?" Cedric spoke up, ignoring Sirius' sniggering. "I wanted to see what the salesmen have."

"All right, Ced," Mr. Diggory replied. "Remember to be back in an hour."

"Harry, why don't you go with Cedric?" Remus suggested to the smaller boy that was still nestled in his side.

Harry lifted his head. "Okay."

"Let's go," Cedric said, taking a hold of Harry's hand and leading him away from their parents. Harry allowed this, fully aware of James grinning after him.

Salesmen Apparated all around as the pair looked around. Merchandise for both teams, Irish and Bulgarian, covered the carts, and Harry saw one that sold tiny models of the Firebolt broomstick.

Harry reunited with Ron and Hermione, who were both standing in front of a cart with what looked to be brass binoculars covered with knobs and dials.

"Omnioculars," the saleswizard was saying. "You can replay action... slow everything down... and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain- ten Galleons each."

"Wish I hadn't bought this now," Ron said forlornly, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat.

"Four pairs," said Harry firmly to the wizard.

"No- don't bother," said Ron, going red.

"Consider it an early Christmas gift," Harry said.

"Okay." Ron brightened up.

"You didn't have to," Cedric protested as Harry handed a pair to him.

"Christmas gift," Harry said simply.

Cedric grinned. "We better head back," he said as a booming gong sound rang through the air.

"Yeah. Let's."

As they walked away, Cedric spoke again. "Hey, I don't know if Ginny told you-"

"Oh, yeah, she had a message," Harry said. "You really want to sit with us?"

"If you're okay with that," Cedric answered, sounding slightly uncertain.

"More than okay!" Harry bounced on his toes a bit. "Come on!" He enthusiastically grabbed Cedric's hand and pulled him along.

James took one look at their entwined hands and said, "Have you disconnected at all while you were gone?"

Lily nudged him, rolling her eyes, while Harry just tightened his grip on Cedric's hand and stubbornly refused to release it.

 

 

 

"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" Ludo Bagman announced.

The stands seemed to vibrate with the sheer amount of people cheering.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce... the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

A hundred Veela, beautiful women with moon-bright skin and white-gold hair, appeared and started to dance.

Harry could see several wizards along the stands watching the Veela with glazed over eyes. Even Remus looked like he was having a difficult time fighting the allure; Sirius was holding him almost possessively.

 _Do guys really lose control when there's Veela around?_ Harry wondered. He looked at Cedric, whose gray eyes were clear as he watched. _Not all guys_.

The Veela finished their dance and lined up along the side of the field.

"And now," Bagman continued amidst the angry yelling, "kindly put your wands in the air... for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

What seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium, showering gold coins over the audience.

Quidditch was much more brutal, Harry noted as the match began. Viktor Krum performed the Wronksi-Feint, while Aidan Lynch hit the ground. Not too long after that, the Veela became vicious and attacked the the leprechauns. With all that was going on, Harry didn't realize that Krum had caught the Snitch until Bagman announced Ireland's victory.

 

 

 

"That was some game, wasn't it?" Cedric said to Harry as they followed the adults back to the tents.

"Yeah. Didn't realize Quidditch could be so vicious," Harry replied. His eyes kept straying over to Sirius, who was making it very clear he did not want any Veela to take him away by riding piggyback.

"We're here," Remus said. "Can you get off now?"

"No." Sirius pouted and tightened his hold.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Damn right you aren't."

"Sirius!" Lily chided.

Cedric touched Harry's arm, distracting him from the oh-so-mature adults. "I'll see you at Hogwarts, okay?"

"Yeah, bye."

Harry watched as Cedric followed his parents away until they disappeared past the tents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three updates in one week. That’s a record!


	8. The Triwizard Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourth year, the year Cedric and Harry finally get together and stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m almost as impatient as you are for updates, so here. Enjoy the fourth update this week and suffer from the fluffiness- I mean enjoy it

Harry waved goodbye as the train began to move. He turned to Luna and began plaiting her hair. The trolley witch came around, and Harry bought some food to share with Luna.

"Bleh!" Harry groaned as he bit into one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "Earwax."

"How come you always seem to choose the bad flavors first?" Ginny said as she came in.

Harry shrugged. "I'm unlucky, I guess."

Ginny laughed. "So did you and Cedric have fun?"

"Yeah. It was great!" Harry went on excitedly, oblivious to Ginny's smug smile.

They arrived at Hogwarts and went through the usual procedure of watching the first years get Sorted. Colin Creevey eagerly pointed out Harry to his brother, Dennis, who stared at Harry with undisguised awe. Hannah snickered at Harry's face. "You got yourself another fan."

Harry tried to glare at her, but his lips twitched upward.

After the Sorting and feast, Dumbledore stood up with several announcements. One rather peculiar one caught everyone's attention: there would be no Quidditch this year. Cedric looked aghast, and over at the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were gaping up at the Headmaster.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place."

He went on to explain it, then sent the students to bed.

"A thousand Galleons," Susan said. "That's a pretty good prize."

"But that death toll," Harry added with a shiver.

"You wouldn't put your name in if you were allowed to?" Ernie asked.

"No, mostly definitely not," Harry said quickly, waving his hands about. "I'll leave that to the seventh years."

They reached their common room and began to disperse to their dorms. Harry spotted Cedric and ran up to him. "Hey, Ced."

Cedric looked pleased to see him. "Hey, Harry. How was the rest of your summer?”

“After the World Cup, it was pretty boring,” Harry said. Well, as boring as it could be with three Marauders as his guardians. "Do you think you'll put your name in?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about it, yes."

"Great! I hope you get picked.”

“We’ll see.”

Harry said good night and rejoined Susan and Hannah, who giggled a little.

"What?" Harry said, immediately on the defensive.

"Nothing," Hannah said. "It's just how you interact with Cedric."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Harry," Susan said, smiling mischievously. "You've been crushing on him since that Quidditch match last year."

"No, no," Hannah said, "when they went on that not-a-date."

"Doesn't help that you two were hanging out at the World Cup," Susan added.

Harry went to deny it but found he couldn't. He closed his jaw with an audible snap and hurried to his dorm, hearing both girls laughing behind him.

 

 

 

Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived a few weeks later. Several girls rushed to find quills and fought over lipstick when they saw that Viktor Krum came in with Durmstrang. Draco looked especially smug as Krum sat down next to him.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and- most particularly- guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

As Harry ate, he caught sight of Ron going purple as he gawked at a Beauxbatons girl.

"What's up with him?" he whispered to Justin.

But Justin was too busy staring at her as well, so Harry turned to Hannah, who said, "That girl's part Veela, I think."

Harry looked at the girl. She was very beautiful, with long, silvery-blonde hair and deep blue eyes. If she did have Veela blood, it would explain how so many guys were staring at her so dreamily.

Susan leaned over. "I bet Cedric is even prettier, don't you think?"

Harry felt his face heat up. "Not so loud!" he hissed.

"Why? Cedric is way over there," Susan said, titling her head further down the table.

"Still," Harry grumbled. "Don't."

Dumbledore stood back up to introduce Ludo Bagman and Bartemius Crouch, who would be overseeing the tournament. Filch came forward and placed a large wooden chest in front of him.

"There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess- their daring- their powers of deduction- and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

He tapped on the casket three times and removed the goblet inside. "Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."

Fred and George had those matching scheming expressions that told Harry they wouldn't be letting that stop them.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."


	9. The Champions

Many students woke up early Saturday morning and went down to see the goblet.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

At that moment, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan came in, looking very excited.

"Done it," Fred said. "Just taken it."

"What?" said Ron.

"The Aging Potion, dung brains," said Fred.

"One drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," said Lee, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Hermione warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

"That's not stopping them," Harry said as she was ignored.

"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then- I'll go first-"

But a moment later, he and George were thrown backwards, growing long white beards.

"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

The twins and Lee left.

Harry went to sit down. He could hear students wondering who had entered and who were planning on entering.

Angelina Johnson, a Gryffindor Chaser, came in, announcing that she had just put her name in.

"Better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory," said Seamus.

Harry bristled a little. Before he could make a retort, someone sat down next to him. "Easy there, Harry. No need to get upset."

"Cedric," Harry said, forgetting about Seamus' words as he smiled up st the seventh year. "Have you entered?"

"Yep. Right after Johnson."

"I hope you get chosen," Harry said.

"Thanks." Cedric gave him a warm smile that made Harry's heart rate increase.

The Beauxbatons students came down and put their names in one by one. Harry could see that many eyes were on the Veela.

"Do you know if she's a Veela?" Harry asked Cedric.

The smile vanished. "She might be," he said. "Why?"

Harry shrugged. "It seems like all the boys are smitten by her."

"Are you?" Cedric said flatly.

Harry shrugged. "I mean, I can see the appeal," he said, though his tone suggested that he didn't particularly care for that. "But no. I don't really like girls, anyway."

"You don't?" There was an odd note in Cedric's voice that made Harry look up.

"Nope. I'm gay, not that many people know that."

"Oh." Cedric looked more relaxed now.

 

 

 

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."

"No surprises there!" Ron shouted amidst the cheering.

Krum stood from the Slytherin table and walked through a door into the next chamber.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

It was the Veela girl, who rose to her feet gracefully, and disappeared into the chamber. Two other Beauxbatons girls were sobbing that they didn't get chosen.

Dumbledore caught the third piece of parchment from the goblet. "The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table exploded with applause.

 

 

 

Cedric walked into the chamber, feeling immensely pleased with himself. He had been picked! His mind was still trying to wrap around that tidbit. He honestly hadn't expected it; he thought Angelina Johnson would be the Hogwarts champion.

Mr. Crouch began giving instructions.

"The first task is designed to test your daring, so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard... very important...

"The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

With that being said, Cedric headed to the Hufflepuff common room. He was practically dragged to the center and was immediately surrounded by his housemates, who were screaming very loudly.

"Nice going, Cedric!" a third year said.

"Thanks."

"You better kick their asses for us, okay?" a sixth year added.

Cedric laughed. "I'll certainly try."

His eyes roamed the common room, searching for a specific person. There, by the wall, stood Harry Potter, who was waiting patiently for his turn to congratulate Cedric. As the other Hufflepuffs continued to sing praises for Cedric, he squeezed past until he was standing in front of Harry.

"Congrats," Harry said, eyes shining brightly. "I knew you'd be picked."

"Did you now?" Cedric said, eyebrow raised.

Harry giggled. "Well, I had a feeling."

Cedric smiled down at him. Harry was just so adorable; he had the urge to take him and put him in a room where nobody could hurt him.

"I should get to bed," Harry said, breaking Cedric out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, okay."

Cedric watched as he disappeared into the tunnel that led to his dorm before turning back to the other students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be jealous, Ced. Harry only has eyes for you... and treacle tart.


	10. Fame, Wands, Dragons, Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cedric’s fame shoots skyward, and he learns of the First Task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *points to chapter title* that’s me trying to be clever

Over the next few days, Cedric received his first taste of fame. The same girls who had fought for Viktor Krum's autograph were now running up to him to sign their school bags. He had seen this behavior before with Harry when he first arrived; he chuckled as he recalled Harry's flustered expression as he tried to get away.

He was brought out his thoughts when a third year burst into the classroom and said that Cedric was needed for the photographs.

Cedric went into a small classroom, where he spotted a surly Krum standing in the corner. Fleur smiled at him, showing her perfectly white teeth. "Hello," she said, tossing her hair.

"Hello," Cedric replied.

Bagman called the three champions together. "Now that we're all here, we can start the wand weighing ceremony. We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead. The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," he added, gesturing toward a witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet..."

Cedric did not like the way she eyed him and the other champions. It was as if she were about to pounce.

Dumbledore introduced Mr. Ollivander, who Cedric recognized from when he was shopping for a wand. He waited until he was called, then handed his wand over.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... ash... pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition... You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," Cedric couldn't help but say with a grin. It disappeared when he saw Rita turning her predatory look onto him.

Krum was next, then the photoshoot, which took much longer than Cedric had anticipated. There were the group photos, then the individual. It dragged on for seemingly hours, and Cedric was glad to leave, to get away from Rita Skeeter.

 

 

 

Harry spent his time trying to get through the year like normal, which proved to be very difficult, especially with the two visiting schools that made the halls more crowded than before. He and Hermione were in the library a lot, but so was Krum. And with Krum were groups of girls giggling as they peeked out behind bookshelves.

"He's not even good-looking!" she muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile. "They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing-"

"Wronski Feint," Ron and Draco said in unison, looking aghast that she did not know the correct term.

A Hogsmeade weekend provided a good opportunity for them to get away from the school and the giggling girls. They went into the Three Broomsticks and ordered butterbeer.

Harry let his gaze wander as Ron and Draco attempted to teach- well, reteach- Hermione on different Quidditch moves. Ernie and Hannah were swapping chocolate frogs, and Cho was with her friends by the door.

His thoughts drifted to Cedric. He was almost always surrounded by admirers, something he seemed to have gotten used to, and looked pretty excited, albeit a bit nervous.

Hagrid came lumbering over. "Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin."

Harry nodded slightly, feeling confused.

 

 

 

Dragons. The champions had to get past dragons. Karkaroff and Madame Maxime both knew about them, so Krum and Fleur probably did as well. Did Cedric? Harry frowned a little. It would be unfair if Cedric was the only one left in the dark. He resolved to tell him as soon as possible.

 

 

 

"What?" Cedric stared at Harry with wide gray eyes.

"Dragons," Harry repeated. "They've got three, one for each of you, and you've got to get past them."

Cedric tried not to show his panic. The first task was tomorrow, he hardly had any time to prepare! "Are you sure?" he said, failing to keep his voice steady.

"Dead sure," said Harry. "I've seen them."

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know..."

"Never mind," Harry said evasively, though Cedric had a good idea who told him. "But I'm not the only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now- Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too."

"Well," Cedric said, clearing his throat, "thank you for telling me."

"Of course. You are the Hogwarts champion, aren't you?" Harry was beaming, and Cedric couldn't stop a smile of his own forming on his lips.

"Yeah." Cedric looked around. "I better get into class. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Good luck, Cedric."

 

 

 

Harry's words echoed in Cedric's head like a mantra as Professor Sprout led him to a tent.

"You'll be waiting in here," Sprout told him, "until it's your turn. Bagman will tell you more. Good luck."

Cedric nodded and went in. Fleur looked less confident than usual, face pale. Krum looked even more surly than ever.

"Well, now we're all here- time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" -he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them- "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different- er- varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Cedric nodded once before starting to pace. He could do this, it couldn't be that bad.

"Dragons," Harry's voice sounded in his head. He had sounded scared for Cedric, not that Cedric could blame him. He had managed to find something to aid him, and he could only hope it would work.

Bagman had the three champions draw from a purple sack. Fleur pulled out a Welsh Green dragon, Krum had the Chinese Fireball, and Cedric ended up taking the Swedish Short-Snout. The number one was tied around its neck.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right?"

Cedric nodded, feeling his palms sweating. On the bright side, he supposed, he would be done more quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t planned on writing anything for the actual First Task itself, so the next chapter jumps right into the immediate aftermath. But for the Second and Third Tasks I will write them
> 
> Also, the Yule Ball will be coming up aaaaaahhhhhhh!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Yule Ball is coming up, and Harry ponders on who to take

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to think of a chapter title

Cedric winced a little as Madam Pomfrey dabbed a thick orange paste onto his face. "Is it bad?" he asked.

"You'll live," she said as she stepped away.

Harry burst inside the tent after Fleur and Krum had finished. "You did great!" he said. "Thirty-eight points. Not a bad start."

"Yeah." Cedric suddenly had a strange urge to bring Harry into his arms and never let go.

Harry's smile faded, and he looked scared. "Bloody hell, that was only the first task. What're they gonna do for the second and third ones?"

"I can handle it."

"I know you can," Harry said sincerely. "But you could get hurt." He was staring at the side of Cedric's face, eyes shining with concern.

"Hey." Cedric gently cupped Harry's chin. "I put my name in the goblet. I knew what I was signing up for. I'll be all right."

"Okay." Harry nodded, but Cedric could see he didn't like it.

 

 

 

Two weeks passed. Cedric's fame was through the roof now, almost rivaling those of Krum and Harry.

For once, Harry was not the subject of gossip, and Harry relished every second of it. He loved walking by a group of students and not hearing his name anywhere in their conversation. That may sound strange, but if you were in Harry's shoes, you'd understand.

He had mirror-called to his parents about the first task, practically gushing over Cedric Transfiguring the rock into a Labrador. It was too bad the dragon decided to go after him in the end; Cedric mightn't have been burnt.

He broke off when he realized Lily was smiling at him fondly. "What?"

"Oh, Harry, you're sounding just like your father did when he talked about me."

"Come on, Lils, I didn't sound _that_ bad."

"Hush, you."

"What are you saying?" Harry said.

"You and Cedric, Harry."

"Our little boy's in love!" Sirius said, fake sobbing onto James' shoulder.

“What? No, Sirius- I- no- bye,” Harry spluttered before ending the connection.

On the other side, Sirius started laughing. "Seems like little Harry got his preference for handsome athletes from you, Lily."

Lily turned on him. "Seems like someone went to... visit... a certain professor," she said, eyeing Sirius' neck.

Sirius clapped his hands over his neck, blushing and muttering under his breath.

 

 

 

One morning, early on December, Professor Sprout announced that the Yule Ball would be held on Christmas Day from eight o'clock to midnight. After dismissing the meeting, there was a new topic of interest: who would go with whom and when they would be asked. If they would be asked.

"They're starting to stare at me again," Harry grumbled as he walked past a group of girls. They giggled and shot glances at him as they walked, making Harry feel dinstinctly uncomfortable.

"Of course they are," Hannah said loftily. "You are Harry Potter, after all. It doesn't matter that you're not a champion; you're still a popular candidate."

Harry groaned.

"Who are you going to ask?" Susan said.

"No one," Harry muttered.

"Wow, I didn't realize that 'No one' was the Hogwarts champion," Susan deadpanned.

"Come on, Susan," Harry said, giving her an exasperated look. "Cedric's popular. I'm sure he'll have a date by tomorrow."

"He will if Harry asks him before then," Hannah whispered not-so-quietly to Susan, who nodded in agreement.

Harry pretended he did not hear.

 

 

 

"So," Harry said, cutting up the roast beef, "the Yule Ball. As if we need another reason to forget about schoolwork."

Cedric hummed in agreement. "I heard you declined Kelly."

"She caught me off guard," Harry said, looking a bit embarrassed at the reminder. "Besides, I don't know her. She's pretty much a stranger, as are most of the school."

"So you want to go with someone you know," Cedric concluded.

"Would _you_ want to go with a stranger?" Harry countered.

"No," Cedric said, conceding Harry's point.

"I'm gay, remember?" Harry said. "Not that anyone knows that."

"Nobody?"

"Well, my friends and family know. But I told them to keep it quiet. I don't need more attention drawn to myself." He redirected the conversation. "What about you?"

"No one yet," Cedric replied.

Harry dropped his fork. "Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Has no one asked you?" Harry didn't think that would have been the case.

"They have. I declined." Cedric shot a sidelong glance at Harry to gauge his reaction.

Harry cocked his head to one side. "Strangers?"

"Yeah, pretty much." _And not you_ , he almost added.

Unaware of Cedric’s thoughts, Harry went on, "Traditionally, it's the guy that does the asking. Anyone in mind?"

"No," Cedric replied. "Not in particular."

That, he very well knew, was a bold-faced lie.

 

 

 

Two more girls asked Harry, though he said no to each.

"Maybe you should tell them you're gay," Draco said. "It'll keep at least the girls away."

"Draco, you know that'll only make it worse. Just imagine how Rita Skeeter would react."

The journalist had hardly written about the champions when she had interviewed them, choosing instead to focus on Harry. She especially questioned Cedric since he went to school with him and was in the same house. Harry had asked his mother what he should do, and she somehow convinced Rita to back off for at least a while. Harry didn't know what Lily had done, but he had learned long ago not to question her; the Marauders faced her wrath often enough.

"Maybe I should ask one of you," Harry muttered. He was with Ron and Hermione in the library, wanting to get away from the giggling and the staring.

"Or," Hermione said, "you could gather some of that Gryffindor courage you would have inherited from your parents and ask Cedric."

"Have you got a date?" Harry said.

"Yes, I have," she retorted.

"Oh." Harry had not expected that. "Who is it?"

"She doesn't really have a date," Ron said, suddenly looking angry. "She just said that to get rid of Neville."

"Did not!" Hermione looked angry now.

"Who are you going with?"

Hermione faltered. "That's- That's none of your business."

"Okay." Harry didn't insist, which made Hermione smile gratefully at him.

Ron, however, was not about to let it go. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not." Hermione stomped out of the library.

"She's lying," Ron muttered.

"You don't know that," Harry said. "Look, why don't you ask Lavender or Parvati? I'm sure one of them will gladly go with you."

"Maybe I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oblivious little... *sighs* it’s coming, guys, don’t worry


	12. Finally!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cedric gathers up the courage to ask Harry to the ball, Hannah is done™, and Harry’s guardians are thrilled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about no update yesterday. I got midterms this week
> 
> Also- *facepalms wall because Cedric is oblivious af*

Cedric had not been having the most luck. Okay, so a bunch of girls asked him, good for him. There was only one problem: They were girls. And they weren't Harry.

When Harry had revealed his sexuality, Cedric had felt a flicker of hope. So did that mean he had a chance? A bigger chance, no doubt, but just because Harry was gay didn't mean he would be interested in Cedric. First of all, he was older than Harry. Obviously, that wasn't a big deal in the wizarding world; many married couples had age gaps larger than three years. But still, Harry was more than likely to like a boy in his own year. Maybe Draco? He had heard of a rumor that they kissed, although they didn't seem to be any more than good friends.

Cedric took a deep breath as he walked through the hall. Today, he would do it. He would ask Harry. _No, wait_. He faltered in his steps. _This is bad_ , he thought. _Terrible idea._

_But you like him, you idiot!_ a small part of his brain shouted at him.

_But I don't know if he likes me_ , he feebly replied.

_He's gay!_

_That doesn't mean he likes me._

_Well, ask him and find out, then!_

_All right, fine_.

Cedric suddenly realized he was standing in the middle of the hall having an internal argument with himself. Shaking his head, he continued walking. He spotted Harry in the courtyard and was about to call for him when he saw he was talking to Ginny.

Any hope he had that Harry would say yes flew out the window. Considering he wasn't out to the majority of the students, Cedric figured Harry would ask Ginny as a friend. Still, there went Cedric's chance. Feeling disappointed and angry at himself for waiting so long, he turned and walked away.

He bumped into Susan and Hannah, who were talking among themselves about Charms. "Hi, Cedric," they said.

"Hey." Cedric was aware he didn't quite hide his gloomy tone and wasn't surprised when the girls frowned worriedly.

"What's wrong, Cedric?" Hannah asked.

"Nothing, just..." He glanced back at Harry and Ginny.

Understanding dawned on the fourth years' faces. "Harry did tell you he's gay, right?" Susan said.

"Yeah, but he's not out."

"True," Hannah said. "But he's planning on coming out soon."

"Besides, Ginny's going with Draco," Susan added.

"She is?" Cedric said.

"Yeah, Ron was okay with that."

"Then who is Harry going with?" Cedric asked.

"No one yet. He hasn't asked the person he has a crush on."

"Oh." Cedric's shoulders slumped.

Hannah groaned. "Must we spell it out for you?"

"Wha-?"

"Hey, Cedric!"

His breath caught in his throat. Harry. Turning, he smiled at him. "Hi, Harry."

"Hey, can we talk?"

Cedric glanced at Susan and Hannah, who nodded encouragingly- and in Hannah’s case, almost desperately. "Sure."

He followed Harry a few yards away.

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?" Harry asked.

Cedric blinked. What did he just say? "Are you serious?"

Harry nodded tensely, biting his lip as he waited for an answer.

Cedric blinked several more times. "Umm..." was all his frazzled mind could come up with. Hannah's words were making a lot more sense now...

Harry's shoulders slumped. "Actually, just forget it... It doesn't matter." He began to leave.

Cedric's mind caught up to him, and he grabbed Harry's arm. "Hey, wait!"

Harry looked up expectantly.

"I didn't say no," Cedric said, "I was just surprised, that's all. I'd love to go with you."

"R-really?" Harry asked, eyes lighting up.

"Really."

Harry laughed, looking relieved that it went smoothly.

"Well, I'll see you then," Cedric said.

"Yeah." Harry nodded and went back to join Ginny.

A giddy smile spread across Cedric's face.

"So?" a very smug Susan said, stepping up behind him.

"I said yes."

"Finally!" Hannah practically shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "I thought I would have to get on a broom and write it out in the fucking sky!"

Many students sent her a strange look as they passed.

 

 

 

Cedric was noticeably distracted throughout the rest of the day, so after DADA, Remus held him back.

"Is there a reason why you're grinning like a lovesick fool, Mr. Diggory?" he asked.

"Yes, I mean no. The Yule Ball," Cedric said.

Remus leaned back against his desk. "You found someone?" he asked.

Cedric caught the knowing gleam in his eyes. "No need to play dumb. You know who it is."

Remus conceded this with a nod. "Yes, but I'd like to hear you say it."

"Fine," Cedric groaned. "It's Harry. Harry asked me. I said yes." He paused. "That's okay, right?"

"More than okay!" another voice spoke from behind, making Cedric jump (and shriek, but no one needs to know that part). It was Sirius Black that had spoken, while Lily and James stood behind him.

"How long have you been standing there?" Cedric demanded, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Long enough," Sirius said with a grin. He cleared his throat and went on. "Now on to more serious business."

"Sirius!" Remus groaned. He loved the dog Animagus to bits, but he really needed to cut out the puns.

("Like Siriusly?" "Shut up, Padfoot.")

James jabbed his elbow into Sirius' side and stepped closer to the Hufflepuff. "Listen, Cedric," he said, looking deep into his eyes, "before you freak out, know that we are more than happy that you like our Harry. But," he went on, "if you hurt him, you will regret it."

"I would never hurt him," Cedric said.

"Never?" James said.

"Never."

"You solemnly swear?" Sirius asked, earning another nudge from James and a sigh from Lily.

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the strange choice of words but nodded nonetheless. "Yes, I solemnly swear." _Is that an inside joke of some sort?_

Lily clapped her hands together. "Excellent." Her eyes gleamed, and Cedric was taken aback at just how similar they were to Harry's. He really did have his mother's eyes, something he heard many people say.

Remus cleared his throat and said, "You might want to get to class."

Cedric started. "Oh, right. Goodbye."

"Oh, Cedric?" Lily called as he reached the door. When Cedric turned to her, Lily smiled sweetly. "Severus wanted me to tell you if you do hurt Harry, he might slip something into your drink or food."

Cedric gulped. Threats from the Potters, he understood, but sometimes he forgot that Professor Snape was also just as protective of Harry, even if he didn't make it as obvious. "Well, I'll tell him not to waste his ingredients, then," he said, even though he knew Snape would probably take ten points for him being cheeky.

But when Cedric passed the potions professor in the hall, that was not what happened.

Snape took fifteen points instead.

And many Hufflepuffs were baffled by the sudden loss of diamonds in the Hufflepuff hourglass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way to go, Cedric. You lost points for Hufflepuff *claps sarcastically*
> 
> But anyway- *flings self at sun* IT’S ABOUT TIME
> 
> If you hadn’t seen the gifset that was the inspiration for this story, I suggest you do so. Just copy and paste the link from the beginning of the story. I used the dialogue from that.
> 
> Anyone got a tumblr? Because I don’t and I would love to let them know that someone saw their post and wrote a whole story on it


	13. Yule Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment we’ve all been waiting for!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> History midterm today, I’m anxious as heck

Harry was very nervous all of Christmas Day, so when he went up to get ready, he didn't object to Susan and Hannah coming into the boys dorm and helping fix up his robes and making sure he looked presentable.

"What if he regrets this?" Harry fretted.

Hannah gave him a deadpanned look. "Harry, honey, you could show up in a bloody trash bag and I can guarantee he wouldn't give a damn. Now keep still!"

"Hannah, leave him alone. It's his first official date," Susan said. "He looks fine. Let's go. Time to meet with your lover."

Harry went out into the common room and saw Cedric standing off to the side, looking extremely handsome in dark brown robes. He smiled warmly at Harry. "You look beautiful," he said.

Harry blushed. "So do you."

"Shall we?" Cedric held out an arm, which Harry took.

Susan and Hannah waved as they passed, and Ernie winked at Harry.

The entrance hall was packed with students, some edging around looking for their partners that were in a different house. Harry saw Draco leading the Slytherins out of the dungeons, separating from them to meet up with Ginny. Ron and Padma were standing together; Padma didn't look all too enthusiastic about the frayed ends of Ron's robes. Hermione was nowhere in sight.

"Champions, over here, please!" Professor McGonagall called.

Cedric and Harry stepped forward and took places next to Fleur and Roger Davies, who couldn't take his eyes off of the Veela. Harry had to do a double take when he saw that Viktor's date was Hermione.

"Hi, Harry!" she said. "Hi, Cedric!"

Harry smiled at her. Hermione had never taken much time on her looks, choosing to focus on her studies instead, but now her bushy hair had been put up in a sleek and shiny knot. Her robes were periwinkle-blue in color, and when she smiled, Harry saw that her teeth had been reduced.

Once everyone had made it inside the Great Hall, McGonagall had the champions line up with their partners and walk in and up to the table where the judges were sitting. Mr. Crouch gestured for Harry to sit down next to him, which he did out of politeness.

Harry didn't see how he was supposed to order food, but then he saw Dumbledore looking at his menu. "Pork chops!" he said, and they appeared.

As Harry ate, he listened to Krum telling Hermione about Durmstrang's location, which Karkaroff did not approve of. Fleur, who clearly was not impressed with anything at Hogwarts, was complaining about its lack of quality to Roger, who was still not paying any attention.

"Absolutely right," he said when she had slapped her hand down on the table. "Like that. Yeah."

Harry and Cedric looked at each other and tried to stifle their laughter.

"Her-my-oh-nee," Hermione was saying to Krum.

"Herm-own-ninny," Krum repeated.

"Close enough," she said, catching Harry's eye and grinning.

Once dinner was finished with, Dumbledore cleared the floor and raised a platform along the right wall, where the Weird Sisters went up to.

"Ready?" Cedric said, taking Harry's hand in his.

They joined the others on the dance floor as the Weird Sisters struck up a slow and mournful tune. Cedric placed the hand that was not holding Harry's around his waist and began to guide Harry.

Harry had been worried about messing it up for Cedric, but it seemed as if the lessons his mother insisted he took paid off. Amusement bubbled up inside him as he recalled his guardians teaching him.

"What are you thinking about?" Cedric asked.

"Hm? Oh, just the dance lessons I took. Let's just say that I went to bed with bruised feet more than once."

Cedric laughed. "That bad?"

"Surprisingly, my dad and Remus were pretty good. Sirius, not so much."

Another laugh, and Cedric fell silent once more.

As the first song was ending, Harry caught sight of Ron and Padma sitting at a table. It didn't seem as if they had moved once. "I'm gonna see how Ron's doing."

"Okay." Cedric followed Harry over and sat down.

"You all right, Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron didn't answer, just glared at Hermione and Krum. When the the song ended, she came and took a seat.

"It's hot, isn't it?" she said, fanning herself. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks."

"Viktor?" Ron said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.

"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Hermione stared at him, then at Harry and Cedric, who were just as confused.

"Ron, what-?"

"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Cedric! Against Hogwarts! You- you're fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!"

Hermione's mouth fell open. "Don't be so stupid!" she snapped. "The enemy! Honestly- who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph? Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?"

Harry bit his lip. He hated seeing his friends so angry, yelling spiteful things at each other. "Will you both shut up?" he snapped.

Both Hermione and Ron gaped at him. It was rare for Harry to lose his temper like that.

"There's nothing wrong with Hermione going with Krum," Harry went on more calmly. "And she said she's not helping Krum, so what's the big deal?"

Ron opened and closed his mouth, fighting for words. Hermione took that moment to stand up and disappeared into the crowd.

"Are you going to ask me to dance at all?" Padma asked him.

"No," Ron muttered.

Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded slightly. "Would you like to dance, Padma?" he asked, offering his hand.

Padma brightened up and nodded, standing up. They walked off onto the dance floor.

"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" said Krum as he appeared, holding two butterbeers.

"No idea," Ron grumbled. "Lost her, have you?"

Cedric shook his head. "I last saw her in that direction," he said more politely, gesturing vaguely out into the crowd.

"Veil, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks," Krum said, and he slouched off.

Harry returned with Padma, who looked much better after dancing, and said to Cedric, "Come on. I'm a bit thirsty."

Cedric, ever the gentleman he was, fetched them butterbeer.

"Have you figured out the egg yet?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I have. Accidentally dropped it in the bath. Turns out the screeching was in Mermish."

"Oh." Harry winced as he recalled hearing the terrible screeching when Cedric had first opened the egg. "What did it say?"

"They're taking something that we'll 'sorely miss' down to the lake and we have to fetch it."

"That sounds foreboding," Harry said.

They continued to talk until it was midnight, then went to the common room.

"That was fun," Harry said uncertainly, not knowing what to do. Was he _supposed_ to do something? While he fumbled for something to say, Cedric leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry’s.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Cedric said as he pulled back. He smiled fondly as Harry turned very red and buried his face in Cedric’s chest. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

Harry mumbled something in response.

“What was that?”

“Am not.”

“Are too.” Cedric cupped Harry’s chin and lifted his head up. “Don’t deny it.”

Harry pouted a little before he yawned, looking remarkably like a small kitten. “I’m tired.”

“Come on.” Cedric took his hand. “Let’s get some sleep.”

And when Cedric’s dormmates woke up the next morning, they were met with the precious sight of Harry curled up against Cedric’s body, both looking peaceful and content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Aah, romance,” says lonely little aromantic me


	14. Second Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita Skeeter is being her *bugging* self; Harry is “what [Cedric]’ll sorely miss”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter wasn’t ready on Sunday, apologies. But it is now!

“So,” Lily said, “they kissed?”

Remus nodded. “They did.”

James sighed wistfully. “Time sure has flown,” he remarked. “It feels like it was only yesterday that we were in school ourselves.”

Lily smiled indulgently. “Oh, yes. You Marauders, wreaking havoc every other day.”

“Those were the days,” Sirius agreed from where he was lying down, head on Remus’ lap.

“Pretty soon Harry will be graduating,” James went on, “and then marriage. Hopefully.”

“If you and I could make it work even after all those years of fighting, I think Harry and Cedric will be fine,” Lily said, voice full of conviction.

 

 

 

Rita Skeeter, the horrible woman she was, wrote about Hagrid's half-giant blood status and made him out to be a vicious and dangerous beast. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to his cabin to speak with him, but he did not answer.

Halfway through January was a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry and Cedric went into the different shops and were in the Three Broomsticks when Rita walked in, looking satisfied about something.

"She better not be looking for someone else's life to ruin," Harry muttered.

Unfortunately, Rita heard him. "Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join-?"

"No, thank you. Why did you write that article about Hagrid?"

Rita Skeeter raised her heavily penciled eyebrows.

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"

"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

Rita's smile wavered ever so slightly before it was back. Her eyes flicked to Cedric, and she pulled out a quill. "How about giving me an interview about the ball. Harry? You and Mr. Diggory here? Is there a reason you picked him as your date? Were you disappointed that you were ineligible to compete?"

"You are one horrible person," Cedric said, disgusted. "Do you even care that you are hurting people? You know what, don't answer that. Come on, Harry."

Harry gladly stood up and followed Cedric out. Glancing back, he saw Rita's quill was zooming back and forth over some parchment. "Not that I disagree with what you said, but she won't let that go lightly."

"I know," Cedric said wearily. With a hint of humor, he added, "I'm a celebrity now. I better get used to being bashed on, hm?"

Harry giggled. "Yeah, I suppose so."

 

 

 

On the day of the Second Task, Cedric got ready and headed down to the lake. He looked around as the students gathered in the stands but could not see Harry.

Ludo Bagman cast Sonorous and said, "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!"

Cedric cast a Bubble-Head Charm and dived into the water. It was unsurprisingly freezing cold, so he cast a warming charm on his body, which helped a little.

After a while, he heard a voice.

_"... your time's half gone, so tarry not_

_Lest what you seek stays here to rot..."_

He came across the merpeople's dwellings at last and entered what looked like a village square. Three people were bound to a merperson statue, Harry being one of them. Beside him were Hermione and a little girl that must be Fleur's sister.

Cedric pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut Harry free before swimming away. Upon reaching the surface, Harry's eyes opened and he shivered. "Never doing that again. That felt weird."

Cedric dragged him to the bank, where Madam Pomfrey grabbed them and wrapped them tightly with a blanket. A hot potion was practically shoved down Cedric's throat, making steam gush out of his ears.

Harry pressed himself against Cedric as they waited for the other champions. Fleur came up first, looking panicked.

"Fleur, where's your sister?" Harry asked.

"The grindylows attacked me," Fleur said, whipping her head back out to the water every few seconds.

Krum arrived shortly after, carrying a dazed Hermione.

"I don't think she's in any real danger," Harry said to calm Fleur down. "The merpeople should bring her up."

But Fleur was in no way appeased, instead she jumped to her feet and went to Madam Maxime.

But Harry turned out to be right, as the merpeople did appear, holding the little girl between them. Fleur raced over and hugged her. "It was the grindylows... they attacked me... oh Gabrielle, I thought... I thought..."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman announced, "we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

"I deserved zero," said Fleur as applause rang out.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points."

Harry flashed Cedric a bright smile and nuzzled closer.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

"You're in first place," Harry said to Cedric."

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

 

 

 

As one of the hostages, Harry was constantly bombarded with questions on what happened in the lake. He told them over and over again that he had been called up to the Headmaster's office and was told that he and the other hostages would be put into a betwitched sleep that would last until they were back at the surface.

Ron had taken to retelling Harry's tale for him, and he began exaggerating it to a point where it was questionable. "But Harry had his wand hidden up his sleeve," he said reassuringly to Padma. "I bet he could've taken those mer-idiots any time he wanted."

"What was he going to do, snore at them?" Hermione said. She was a bit disgruntled with all the teasing that she was what Krum would miss most.

When Harry heard of Ron's exaggerations, he snorted, spilling pumpkin juice on his robes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Rita, what are you up to now?


	15. Skeeter’s Scoop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita Skeeter writes some rather... unpleasant things about Cedric; Lily, with the help of Hermione and Draco, saves the day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter here because I didn’t want to split it
> 
> Also, I suck at writing articles

During breakfast, a very irritated Susan slammed a copy of Witch Weekly down in front of Harry. "Read this."

Harry skimmed the pages until he found what he was looking for.

Rita Skeeter had definitely not taken his and Cedric's words lightly for she had written about their relationship, wondering just how genuine it was on Cedric's part. Perhaps he thought that, as a champion, he could have whoever he wished, even the Boy-Who-Lived.

"'Is Diggory not satisfied with the fame that comes with being a champion? Perhaps a little bit of extra fame is what he wants to help boost his future,'" Harry muttered. "What the- what is this rubbish? It's not true!"

"I know that, Harry," Susan said patiently. "And most of the students do, too."

"Most?" Harry echoed.

Susan looked distinctly uncomfortable now. "Well, Rita Skeeter is a very influential person. She's got even the most stubborn people wavering."

"Whatever. They can talk all they want. I don't care." Harry slammed the magazine down and turned away.

Susan sighed. "You know I don't like it when you lie, Harry," she said softly.

Harry didn't answer, just tightened his grip on his fork.

 

 

 

His mood didn't improve at all over the next few days. He bit back angry words when students looked at him with pity or asked about Cedric. It seemed as if they had forgotten about Rita Skeeter's reputation and the way she could spin a tale with her twisted words and focused on her writings.

On the following Monday, a few owls came flying down and landed in front of Cedric. He opened them to see hateful messages threatening him to leave Harry alone or else.

"Careful!" Harry said as undiluted bubotuber pus spilled out of one of the envelopes.

"Ouch!" Cedric yelped as it covered his hands.

Harry swore, something he only did when he was particularly angry. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing."

"No, I can get there myself. You don't want to be late," Cedric said. Standing, he quickly made his way out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry alone with many eyes on him.

Throughout Herbology, Harry couldn't get his mind off of Cedric. A twinge of guilt clawed at his stomach; this wouldn't be happening if they weren't a couple.

"I wonder how she's doing it," Hermione said.

"Maybe she has the school bugged," Harry suggested. "Wait, never mind. Muggle electronics don't work in magical places."

Ron looked confused, so Harry began telling him about recording equipment.

"Like you said, Harry, those wouldn't work," Hermione said. "It says so in Hogwarts: A History."

"I still can't believe you managed to drag Harry into reading that old book," Ron muttered. "We could have just asked you."

 

 

 

The hate mail continued, and there were even a few Howlers that shrieked at Cedric, making him flinch and go red with humiliation.

"This is getting ridiculous," Harry said into the mirror after a particularly nasty one. "Do you know how many people are coming up to me asking if I'm still with him?"

James sighed. "No, but I can imagine. Your mother's writing a letter to Rita right now, although I doubt she'll listen."

"She certainly didn't the first time," Sirius added darkly.

"I don't know what to do," Harry said. "Hermione and Draco are both trying to figure out how she's getting her information, but so far they got nothing."

"Has Moony tried using the map?" James asked.

"Yeah, but she must be invisible or something because he can't see her." Harry cast a quick Tempus. "Dinner will be starting soon. I'll see you later."

"All right, kiddo," James said. "Stay safe."

Harry disconnected and put the mirror back into his trunk. With a small sigh, he remained still for a few minutes, trying to think.

Cedric had somewhat distanced himself from Harry, and Harry was afraid he would break off their relationship. The thought frightened him. He liked the older Hufflepuff a lot, too much to let him go easily. And Harry had gotten used to sleeping next to him. Cedric had gone to bed earlier the past few nights, and Harry, not wanting to disturb him, went back to his own dorm.

Two months. That wasn't really a long time, was it? To Harry, it wasn't. But even before they've made it official they had been fairly close. Cedric wouldn't break it off for nasty hate mail, would he?

Harry felt wetness on his cheeks and wiped away the tears he hadn't realized were falling. Maybe it would be for the best if they split up. Cedric would become popular and loved again and Harry would be... well, it didn't really matter. He would cope. After all, he and Cedric had been fine before they became official; they would be able to go back to that.

Harry was lying to himself, he knew it. He would most certainly not be fine with just being friends, although if that was what Cedric wished then he would not argue.

Forgetting about dinner, he laid down and closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears that kept falling.

 

 

 

Cedric was worried. He had not seen Harry throughout most of the day and he had not shown up for dinner. Susan and Hannah were sitting together as usual, but there was no sign of the familiar dark-haired boy with them.

"Do you know where Harry is?" he asked them.

They shook their heads.

"I thought he might have been with you," Susan said.

"Barely seen him all day," Cedric replied.

"Probably realized how foolish he was to be with you," another Hufflepuff said snidely.

Hannah protested loyally, glaring at those that were eavesdropping.

But Cedric suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Did Harry regret getting together with him? "I'm going to the dorms," he said, standing up quickly and walking away.

He went into Harry's dorm and saw him lying on his bed, facing away. "Harry?"

Harry tensed up. "What are you doing here?" he asked, voice wavering slightly.

"I didn't see you at dinner," Cedric replied. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Well, I'm fine. No need to skip dinner to check on me." Harry's voice was unusually harsh. "You can go now."

Cedric flinched, biting his lip. "Um, right. Sorry, I'll just-" He started to turn, but then Harry sat up and spoke again.

"Wait." Harry winced at the desperation in his voice. "Don't leave. Please."

He listened, half afraid that Cedric would ignore him, and was relieved when the bed dipped slightly under his weight. "Are we still together?" he sled.

Cedric was silent for a few seconds, startled by the question. "Of course we are, Harry."

"Even-" Harry swallowed. "Even after that article?"

Another pause, then Cedric's arms wrapped around Harry and pulled him close.

“Is that what had been bothering you?” Cedric said. “Harry, I don’t care what they say. I admit, I’m annoyed, but I won’t break up with you over something like this.”

Harry sniffled. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Harry nuzzled into Cedric, smiling slightly. “Dad said Mum is writing Rita a letter. I wonder if she’ll listen this time.”

Cedric grinned. “Who knows?”

 

 

 

Lily was just finishing the letter when James poked his head in. “Draco and Hermione just sent you this,” he said, handing over another letter.

Lily opened it and read it to herself. Then she smiled so viciously that James took a step back.

“Um, Lily, care to explain before you go on your murder spree?”

Lily looked up at her husband. “It seems as though Rita is nothing more than a little bug.”

“An Animagus? Ooh, she’s in trouble,” James said gleefully as Lily crumpled up her original letter and started a new one. In the form of a Howler.

 

 

 

Rita Skeeter nearly spilled her ink when the Howler activated.

_Hello, Rita_ , it said in Lily Potter’s voice. _I just wanted to warn you that if you keep... bugging my son and his boyfriend, there will be consequences. You are to write an apology and turn yourself in. And if you don’t?_

_Then. I. Will_.

There was no need for Lily to shout; the message came through loud and clear. Rita hastily threw out what she had started to write and began making a new article.

Well, she certainly did listen this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry, that’s the only angst in this story.
> 
> Hermione and Draco: I don’t ship them romantically (nor platonically, now that I think about it), but they’d make a badass duo with their brains, don’t you think?


	16. Third Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rita is no longer a threat; Cedric gets through the Third Task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is almost finished, can you believe it?

Much to Lily's satisfaction, Rita did turn herself in and was promptly fined and lost her job. Rita found herself on the receiving end of hate mail after her apology article came out. As the saying goes, karma's a bitch.

The weeks went by quickly. Harry and Cedric remained the topic of the majority of the gossip, but now there weren't any doubts.

"They are so in love."

"I'd be jealous if I didn't think they were so cute together!"

"I saw them kissing this morning in the corridor, so adorable!"

"Screw the kissing, I want to watch Cedric tickling Harry."

It was true; Harry was very ticklish, a fact that Remus "accidentally" let slip to Cedric, who took advantage of it. Harry's giggles filled the common room more than once, and the girls would coo at them. Harry tried to pretend to be mad at Cedric, but Cedric would simply smile cheekily at him until Harry smiled back before kissing him.

"So what will the Third Task be?" Harry asked one evening.

"They built hedges in the Quidditch pitch," Cedric told him. "We have to get through a maze."

"I presume there will be obstacles," Harry said, knowing that it wouldn't be as simple as that.

"Mhm. Can't wait."

"Me, neither." Harry hoped and prayed that Cedric wouldn't get hurt.

 

 

 

Cedric met up with his parents in the chamber off the Hall.

"So, Harry Potter, hm?" his mother said.

Cedric's face flushed. "What about him?"

"Oh, Cedric. Why didn't you tell us you were together?"

"Sorry," Cedric said. "It's been a bit rough with Rita."

Both his parents' gazes darkened. "You should know not to listen to that woman, Ced."

"I'm just glad you didn't let it affect your relationship," his father added.

Remembering the panic he had felt when Harry said he wanted to talk, Cedric wholeheartedly agreed.

They walked around Hogwarts, his parents reminiscing their time as students, and came back to the Great Hall for lunch.

Cedric's mother spotted Harry and insisted Cedric introduced him as his boyfriend. Mentally bracing himself for the embarrassment he was sure would follow, Cedric walked forward.

Harry was speaking with Hannah when he saw them approaching. "Hi, Ced!" His eyes landed on the adults behind him. "Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, hello."

Harry's bright personality had won over Cedric's parents when hey had first met at the Quidditch World Cup, which came as a surprise to no one, and Mrs. Diggory especially adored him and asked if Cedric was treating him right. While Cedric was directly next to her.

Figures, he thought, rolling his eyes affectionately. My own mother loves Harry Potter more than her own son. Not that he could blame her. That was just how Harry was.

As evening approached, Dumbledore stood up and silence fell. "Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Harry gave Cedric a quick kiss and wished him luck as he stood and followed Fleur and Viktor onto the Quidditch field, which now had a twenty-foot-high hedge running along the edge and a gap that led inside.

Once the stands filled up, Bagman began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place, with eighty-five points- Mr. Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points- Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place- Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"So... on my whistle, Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three- two- one-" He gave a short blow on his whistle, and Cedric disappeared into the maze.

 

 

 

"Lumos." Cedric's wand lit up the maze. He walked forward, going straight until there was a fork and chose to go right. He heard the whistle blow twice, signaling first Krum's entrance, and later Fleur's.

He turned and found himself face to face with Blast-Ended Skrewts. It took him a moment for his mind to catch up to him, and in that moment's hesitation, one of the Skrewts shot fire at him, catching his sleeve. "Aguamenti!" The fire was put out, and he turned away.

Using the Four-Point Spell, Cedric went deeper into the maze, meeting more creatures and successfully getting past them all.

At last, he came across the Triwizard Cup sitting on a plinth. He began to run forward, eyes focused on the cup. In fact, he was so intent on it that he collided with something large. A spider.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, but the spell did nothing but aggravate it.

The spider lifted him up, and in the next moment Cedric felt an excruciating pain in his leg as the pincers clamped down on it. "Expelliarmus!"

The spider released Cedric, who fell a good twelve feet onto the ground. Before it could make another attack, he pointed his wand at its belly and shouted, "Stupefy!"

At the same time, two other voices joined his. Three jets of red light by the spider, which fell over with a jarring thud.

"Are you hurt?" Krum's voice said.

"A little," Cedric said, which was a lie. His leg hurt like hell.

Fleur knelt down and waved her wand, conjuring up bandages to staunch the bleeding until he got official help.

"Thanks." Cedric looked at the cup, which was a mere few feet away. "One of you should take it."

"Don't be silly," Fleur scoffed. "You made it first."

Krum nodded in agreement.

"Well, if it wasn't for you two, I'd be spider food," Cedric countered. He leaned heavily against the hedge. "Look, all right, we can't just all lose. Someone has to win."

But neither Fleur nor Krum moved.

"What are we going to do? Tie for first place?" Cedric muttered.

To his surprise, the other students looked like they were considering it. "Why not?" Krum said. "This could help with rivalry."

"I agree."

"All right." Cedric stood up.

They all took a stance around the cup.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three."

They each touched the cup and felt the jerk beneath their navel before they were whisked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a good thing ol’ Voldy is dead because the champions would be in troublleeeeee


	17. Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone wins; Hermione and Draco share how they figured out Rita Skeeter’s been bugging Harry; Cedric more or less makes a promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got very busy yesterday, so to forgot to upload this chapter.

To say that the crowd was surprised when all three champions appeared with the cup between them would be an understatement. The judges, especially, didn't know how to react to this unexpected turn of events.

"Out of the way!" Madam Pomfrey pushed her way through to reach Cedric. She conjured a stretcher, which Cedric gratefully laid down on, and carried him to the hospital wing.

 

 

 

Pretty soon, Cedric's leg was cleaned and wrapped up in bandages once more. Harry came in once Madam Pomfrey had finished tending to him.

"How do you feel?"

"Like my leg's been crushed by a spider," Cedric said dryly.

Harry laughed. Then he frowned. "That could've really hurt you. Like worse than it did, I mean."

"Remember, I signed up for this. I'm all right."

"But you still got hurt." Harry looked deep into Cedric's eyes. "I don't like it when you hurt."

Cedric winced guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Harry shrugged, then he perked up. "Hey, you're okay now. And you've won. All three of you. Any idea how the thousand Galleons will be given?"

Cedric shook his head. The thought had never crossed his mind what he would do if he won, especially after he and Harry became official.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something to do with it, whatever the outcome," Harry said, smiling.

Madam Pomfrey came back in with Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. "Congratulations, Mr. Diggory," Fudge said. "There will be a presentation ceremony once you are well."

"Thank you."

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Fudge said, turning to the other student.

Harry nodded politely, but he didn't look thrilled to see him, probably because Fudge hadn't made any attempt to stop Rita Skeeter to from writing those articles.

"I do want to apologize for the articles," Fudge went on as if reading his thoughts. "I should not have given her such free range with her writing."

"No, you shouldn't have," Harry agreed.

He stepped back as Madam Pomfrey looked over Cedric's leg and handed him a potion to help with the pain. "You should be good by tomorrow," she said.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, smiling. "The ceremony shall take place tomorrow afternoon."

Madam Pomfrey looked like she would have liked to wait a little while longer but did not argue.

 

 

 

The schools had a mixed reaction while the champions were each presented with their thousand Galleon prize. It would have been preferred (and expected) if their respective champion had won by themselves, but it was good for the rivalry as Krum had stated.

Some, including Harry, didn't care that there had been a tie. He was just glad that they had made it out alive with minimal injuries; Krum and Fleur had both faced Hagrid's skrewts and gotten away with singed clothes and, of course, Cedric had faced that spider.

A month passed, and Durmstrang and Beauxbatons we're finally leaving hogwarts. Students mingled and said goodbye to the friends they made. The champions found themselves constantly sought out for details of their troubles throughout.

"Harry!" Fleur was coming over. "We will see each other again, I hope," said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. "I am hoping to get a job here, to improve my English."

"It's very good already," said Ron.

"Good-bye, Harry," said Fleur, turning to go. "It has been a pleasure meeting you!"

Draco came swaggering over with his usual haughty air. "I bet Skeeter is dying to get her hands on a quill. A tie in the Triwizard Tournament; who wouldn't want to write about that?"

"How did you figure it out?" Harry asked. "Mum said you and Hermione sent a letter."

"It was quite simple, actually," Hermione said as they headed for the carriages. "I mentioned what you said about bugging."

"But they don't work in the magical-"

"No," Hermione interrupted Harry patiently. "But it got me thinking, so I went into the library-"

"What a surprise."

"- and Draco came in," Hermioke went on, ignoring Ron, "and asked what I was doing."

"It didn't take long to figure it out from there," Draco added. "The hardest part was locating her to confirm it."

"But you did," Ron said.

"We did." Hermione nodded. "Draco was the one who caught Rita in a jar and showed her to me."

"How did you know it was her?"

"The beetle had markings around her antennae that looked exactly like Rita's glasses," Draco replied.

"That must have been how she knew about Hagrid," Ron realized. "I saw a beetle on a statue when he was telling Madame Maxime about his mum!"

"And I've seen the same beetle around a few times myself," Harry said. "So you sent a letter to my mum."

"We did. No one wants to mess with Lily Potter."

"You're amazing," Ron said, smiling at Hermione in awe.

Hermione blushed, looking pleased. "Draco helped quite a bit."

The smile slid off Ron's face.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Relax, Weasley, she's not interested in me."

Ron went very red. "I know that."

Hermione looked a bit confused. For someone who was so smart, she really didn't have a clue.

Harry went to find Susan and Hannah, who were just settling into a compartment when he did.

"Three champions," Hannah said. "I still can't believe it."

"Pretty cool, though, isn't it?" Harry said.

"I suppose next year will be pretty boring compared to this one," Susan predicted. "Not to mention, Cedric graduated. You won't be able to sleep in his dorm."

"I'll manage," Harry mumbled, blushing.

They bought some food off of the trolley later and began to eat.

"Any idea when you'll be marrying?" Hannah asked suddenly.

Harry coughed a bit. "Pardon?"

"You and Cedric," Hannah said. "Obviously, there'll be one."

"I haven't thought about it."

"Thought about what?"

Harry wanted to sink through the seat in embarrassment. Of course, Cedric had to come by in time to hear that. Knowing Hannah, she would have done that on purpose, considering she was next to the door and had a limited view to the corridor.

"I was just asking when will you two be marrying?" Hannah told Cedric unabashedly.

"Well, we would have to wait until at least after Harry graduates, wouldn't we?" Cedric said.

Harry looked up in surprise. Cedric's gray eyes met his green ones steadily, and Harry realized he was serious. "Yeah," he said softly. "We would."

Cedric smiled before closing the door and continuing his patrol.

"I better be invited," Susan said.

"Me, too," Hannah said. "Because if not, I'm sending you a Howler."

"Don't worry. You'll be among the first I invite," Harry said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: a brief overview of Harry’s last three years, so mostly filler


	18. 5th-7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry’s last three years at Hogwarts

It was quite uneventful after the Triwizard Tournament, and not being with Cedric made it worse.

Harry became a prefect in his fifth year along with Hannah and took his role very seriously. Some of the younger students were a bit surprised, having not expected him to be strict, but they couldn't accuse him of being unfair.

He got a whole new perspective on the bullying that plagued some of the students' school experience. Luna, for example, was still considered weird for her obsession with seemingly nonexistent creatures. It became the breaking point when Harry learned that her stuff was often stolen and that she had endured that for three years without telling anyone. He immediately went to Professor Flitwick, who proceeded to give detentions to every person that had joined in. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about the previous years, so not everyone was rightfully punished, but it was made clear that Harry and Flitwick were not messing around.

 

 

 

In his sixth year, Romilda Vane, a fourth-year Gryffindor, greeted him on the train, pushing her long dark hair back and smiling at him flirtaciously. Harry tried to be polite and remind her gently that he was not interested (and still dating), but the girl just wouldn't take a hint, even though she did leave after a moment.

Ginny, not one for subtly, went after her and threatened to Bat-Bogey Hex her if she made another move, causing Romilda to squeal and run off. Everyone knew not to undermine Ginny just because she was a girl and the youngest of the Weasleys.

Professor Horace Slughorn had come out of retirement to teach Potions this year, while Snape moved to DADA. Remus had decided to leave the post to spend more time with Sirius and the child they had. Nymphadora Tonks had been the surrogate mother for little Teddy, who was quite a handful.

Slughorn turned out to be all right, though Harry preferred Snape. But Hermione was much more enthusiastic, answering each question eagerly.

"It's Amortentia!" she said when Slughorn was pointing out three different potions.

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn, "but I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love porion in the world!" said Hermione.

"Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," said Hermione enthusiastically, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and-"

She broke off, looking embarrassed.

Draco nudged Harry. "I bet I know who you're smelling," he whispered.

"Hush," Harry said, flushing.

Indeed, he could smell treacle tart, his favorite dessert, but also sweat (a bit gross, he thought, but anyone would be sweaty if they've been playing hard) and the fresh clean scent of deodorant. A rather odd combination, Harry would admit.

"... that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis," Slughorn was saying when Harry brought himself back to the present. "I take it," he turned, smiling, to look at Hermione, who had let out an audible gasp, "that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"

Potions suddenly became very interesting, and everyone made a better effort to make the Draught of Living Death to win the Felix Felicis. To Harry's immense surprise, he ended up winning, his potion turning pale pink.

"How did you do that?" Ron said as they left.

"Followed the instructions. It was Snape's book." Snape had found it when he was going through his office and gave it to Harry as a birthday gift. Harry knew he'd be very pleased to see that it had aided him well.

"So I really should have added a clockwise stir," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Also, crushing the bean with the flat side of the knife releases the juice better."

 

 

 

Seventh year came, along with the renewed stress of NEWTs. Harry was so glad when he got through them that he barely paid attention as the seventh years climbed into the boats that had taken them across during their first year.

"It's going to be quite boring next year," Ginny grumbled.

"It'll be much quieter," Luna said as she handed Harry a hair tie.

Harry wrapped it around the base of Luna's braid. "What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to be a Magizoologist," Luna said.

"I'll be sending in applications for Quidditch," Ginny said.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do great," Harry told her encouragingly.

"Course she will," Draco said loftily. "Have you seen her play?"

Harry sniggered, remembering a time when Ginny had crashed into the commentary stand where Zacharias Smith was after he had insulted her.

The Potters and Weasleys were waiting when they got off the train. Mrs. Weasley cried and hugged Harry and Ron, congratulating them over and over again. Draco stood back, but a shove from Ginny had him stumbling forward into her arms as well.

The Malfoys walked over as Draco was finally released. "Arthur," Lucius said curtly.

Mr. Weasley nodded back just as curtly. They had both been shocked to hear that Draco and Ginny were together, but for their sakes, they tried to be more civil. Draco had been worried that the Weasleys wouldn't accept his relationship with their daughter, but Mrs. Weasley had welcomed him with open arms and given him a Weasley sweater every following Christmas.

"I don't suppose you're going to threaten me not to hurt Ginny," Draco had said when Fred and George had cornered him.

"I'm honestly more worried that she's going hurt you if you put a toe out of line," George said seriously.

"Good luck, mate," Fred added, clapping him on the back.

After witnessing Ginny cast the Bat-Bogey Hex for the first time, Draco was inclined to agree.

"Can you believe it?" Sirius said, wiping his eyes. "Our little Prongslet is all grown up!"

"You've been saying that at the end of every year," Harry said.

"Ready to go home?" James said. "Sirius will get real moody without his Moony."

"Go eat a salt lick, Prongs."

"Only after you take a bath, Padfoot."

"Or two," Harry added, laughing at Sirius' offended expression.

"You know what? I'll just eat alone. I don't need you." Sirius began to stomp off.

"You're right, Dad," Harry said loud enough for the retreating man-child. "He really does get moody without Moony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, I didn’t particularly like this chapter, but I didn’t want to have such a huge time skip, so this was the result
> 
> Next chapter will be more interesting, and you’ll see why


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day of the main gays™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no freaking excuse for not updating except I was busy and also stumped on how to write out this last chapter
> 
> For the record, I have never been able to write out anything wedding-related, so keep in mind that this chapter will not be the very best

 

To the surprise of no one, a party was thrown to celebrate the graduation of Harry and his friends. Many were invited to Grimmauld Place, as it was large enough to hold those in attendance.

Harry was a bit disappointed- okay, very disappointed- when he didn't see Cedric. When he asked Susan and Hannah, the two suddenly had mischievous gleams in their eyes but said nothing. He got a similar reaction from Lily, who reassured him that everything was fine. James suggested he go and have fun and wait.

Confused, Harry did as he was told. It wasn't easy not thinking about Cedric when he saw Draco and Ginny talking together and Lavender Brown snogging a boy Harry did not know. Nope, not helping at all. He awkwardly walked away to clear his mind.

"Harry!" It was Hermione, who was dragging Ron along behind her. "There you are. Cedric's been looking all over for you."

"Cedric?" Harry perked up.

"Yeah, mate," Ron said. "Cedric's been getting pretty anxious about-" But he cut himself off before he could say anymore.

"Where is he?" Harry asked.

"Come on." Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him and Ron back inside.

Cedric was standing in the living room, looking anxious as Ron had stated. He smiled nervously as Harry approached.

"I've been looking for you," they said in unison. "You have?" they asked, again in unison. "Yes."

Harry suddenly realized that it had gone quiet and everyone was watching. "What's going on?" he said. His parents were standing with Cedric's, all looking very eager.

Turning back, Harry saw that Cedric was down on one knee. "Ced?"

"It's been a long five years since we first started hanging out," Cedric began. "It only took a year to realize I was falling for you."

Harry's heart was thumping wildly in his chest.

“Harry James Potter, you are the most adorable and beautiful person I’ve ever met. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Harry croaked. He cleared his throat. “Yes.”

Everyone applauded as he leapt into Cedric’s arms, bowling him over, and hugged him tightly, the biggest smile on his face.

 

 

 

"Mum, get off!" Harry groaned, feeling a sense of déjà vu as Lily fussed over him.

"Oh, Harry, love, it's not every day I see my son getting bonded." Lily wiped her eyes, smiling affectionately at her son.

Remus poked his head in. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"No," Lily said at the same time.

Remus laughed at Harry's unimpressed expression. "He'll be fine, Lils. Come on."

Sirius and James, who have been kicked out of the dressing room due to their unhelpful help, were pacing the hall. "There he is!" James exclaimed. "Our little Prongslet is about to become a husband."

Harry groaned softly. Did all parents enjoy embarrassing their children, even after they graduated from school?

"It seems like it was only yesterday," Sirius added, making an exaggerated sniffling sound, "that he was just boarding the train for the first time."

_Godparents, too_ , Harry thought as he followed the adults.

 

 

 

When everyone was in position, the official bonding ceremony began. Harry waited with his father, a mixture of anxiety and excitement twisting at his gut. As they walked down the aisle, he saw his friends beaming at him from the sides. Cedric was smiling so warmly Harry felt like the sun was out.

Professor Dumbledore— who insisted Harry called him Albus now that he was no longer a student— was conducting the ceremony, and he looked like a proud grandfather as he spoke the traditional words.

It seemed to drag on, but eventually, the bonding was complete, Harry's and Cedric's magic swirling around and entwining with one another. And when they kissed, the people stood and applauded for the couple as they began the next step of their relationship.

 

 

 

"Congratulations, Harry!" Hannah said as she hugged her friend.

"Thank you, Hannah."

Susan embraced him as well. "After all those years of pining."

"It was not that many," Harry protested under his breath.

He and Cedric had just finished a dance and were now chatting with his friends.

Ron and Hermione came walking over, looking a bit tired but content. "Isn't this wonderful?" Hermione said. "You and Cedric. I'm still trying to process it. My best friend is married!"

"And soon you will be, too," Harry said, smiling between her and Ron.

Ron ducked his head, looking pleased. "Yeah, we will."

"Mr. Potter." Lucius Malfoy came striding over with his wife, Narcissa, and Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry greeted him.

"I must congratulate you on your bonding," Lucius said formally, shaking his hand.

"Thank you."

Draco was much less formal as he gave Harry a hug. "Diggory better be treating you well."

"He's amazing, Draco, don't worry."

"I'm glad to hear that."

More people came up to the couple and congratulated them as well.

Harry took turns dancing with each of his friends, and Cedric went off to see where his parents have gone.

"This is just like the Yule Ball, isn't it?" his mother said.

"Quite similar, yes," Cedric agreed, looking around the Great Hall.

"He's so good with people," she went on, eyes softening as she watched Harry dance with Susan.

"I know." That was one of the main reasons why he loved Harry so much.

"And so graceful," his father added.

After dancing with Luna, Harry rejoined Cedric.

"I wonder where my parents have gone off to," Harry said.

"Your godfather is trying to get Professor Snape to dance," Luna said airily.

Sure enough, when Harry followed her gaze, he could see Snape standing with his arms folded while Sirius pleaded with him. Walking over, he said, "Are you bothering Severus again?"

"Of course not!" Sirius said while Snape muttered, "When isn't he?"

"Come dance with us, Sev. Come on."

"No."

Harry pouted. "Not even one?"

Snape looked down at him, seeming to struggle with the urge to give in to that adorable expression. "Harry..."

Cedric was trying not to laugh. "You may as well give in, Professor. No one can resist Harry's charm."

Snape shot a deadpanned stare at him.

"Just one dance," Lily said, holding out her hand.

Snape gave in. But he still refused to dance with Sirius. "I've seen you with Lupin, Black. You keep stepping on his toes."

Remus shifted his feet ruefully. "And people wonder why I don't dance with him."

Harry giggled at Sirius' offended look and decided to take pity on him. "Want to dance with me, Padfoot?"

Sirius brightened up.

And if Harry's feet were hurting by the time they had finished, he didn't complain. Out loud. After all, this was an extraordinary day that marked the beginning of a new chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have come to an end (well, beginning down our newlywed couple)
> 
> Great gulping Grindylows! Can you believe that this story is over? Like it’s the first HP fanfic that I’ve finished, I’m so happy!
> 
> Thank you so much for your support and feedback! I cannot stress enough just how happy I am. I appreciate every single one of you that read, commented and left kudos. Thank you thank you thank you


End file.
